RV to the Free Cities
by bretticus1218
Summary: The Tyrells don't do roadtrips...like ever. They have their comfortable house and their normal lives and that's enough. But when Mace comes home with a huge RV and a family road trip ensues, you can be sure that the crazy is about to be unleashed. From Loras' new relationship with Renly, to Margaery's secret, to Willas accepting his family, anything and everything can happen when t


They weren't a traveling family. It just wasn't the way they worked. The Tyrell's place was at their large, comfortable house on Highgarden Street, and that was that. So when Mace, the "head" of the family brought home a huge RV from a dealership, the entire family thought he'd gone off his rocker. An RV meant a trip and the Tyrells didn't really do trips. That was a bit too much family time for them, family time was always stressful and often ended in sullen stares and guarded wounds from sharp words exchanged. So pile into a huge RV and go on a road trip? Not really anyone's idea of a good time. Loras and Willas would have protested, Willas that he couldn't get his wheelchair into the RV comfortably and Loras that he couldn't abandon the football team summer training to go gallivanting off with his wacko family. But Mace stood firm. When Willas and Loras turned to their grandmother Olena for help, she just shook her head at the boys. She told them that a little family time would do them some good and that they needed to spend some time with their father. Loras sighed at this and looked down at his hands, with their long fingers, almost made for throwing a football and strapping on equipment. He didn't want to spend more time with his father, that was the last of his priorities right now. But he was as clever as his father was dim and knew that he would need a friend on the coming trip, so he demanded that his new boyfriend Renly come with them. He rationalized that they had never actually met the mystery boyfriend and that it was high time he introduced him to the family. Mace tried to find a way around bringing the carefree, handsome class president of Westeros High without sounding like a bigoted bastard—and failed. Loras won that battle.

Willas woke up, the imprint of the couch cushion seat branded on his face. The family, who hardly ever outright disagreed, but only ever unwillingly agreed, had all been unanimous when saying that Willas should sleep on the couch. Mace had demanded the bed but Olena and Margery had beat him down and claimed it for themselves, leaving him to fester away on an air mattress. Garlan had fallen asleep in the passenger seat and Loras and Renly had all put an assortment of blankets and pillows on the floor to make a sort of pillow fort to sleep in. Willas had been kept up late at night by the sound of their quiet voices and murmurs. He felt a pang of loneliness when he looked over, and by the warm yellow light of the morning sun, saw that Loras and Renly had fallen asleep with their fingers intertwined as easily and smoothly as water on rocks, or sunlight through leaves. Their hands were so similar, Willas observed, both long-fingered and slim, beautiful hands. Renly's were freckled where Loras' were tan, but that was probably part of the charm. They were so alike, but their slight differences were what kept things different and exciting. Willas knew how his brother felt about Renly, and he could definitely see it, in Loras' eyes when he looked at the lanky, handsome boy, with laughing eyes and kind dimples, so similar to Loras' own. Willas pulled his own blanket tighter over him, though he was not cold, he was penetrated with a deep loneliness. His family was so big, but there was still no one for him. Loras and Renly were so in love and Willas was just reminded of his own handicap and how he might never feel that for another woman or man, another human, someone who could make him happy. Or at least they would never feel it back for him.

"Will, you up?" Mace grumbled as he strode through the large RV where people seemed to be stirring, getting ready to finish the final leg of the journey in the 7 states before they finally went on vacation to the "free" states, as everyone called them. They just had to stop in a town called Winterfell to pick up a friend of Margery's.

Willas nodded and leaned back on the soft pillows of the couch. Loras and Renly got up and got Garlan to help them clean up the pillows and blankets on the floor so everyone could move. Renly grinned and chucked a pillow at Loras' head but Loras just caught it with the grace and skill of someone who was just talented at what they did and he instantly diverted it in Willas' direction. Willas caught it, his reflexes surprising even himself and he laughed. Maybe when you stood in the glow of the golden Tyrell children who weren't him, it started to rub off on you. After 19 years on this earth, it would have taken long enough. Garlan grinned and swatted Loras with a pillow and an epic pillow fight would have broken out if Mace hadn't started barking at them.

"Boys! This is a family vacation, not a madhouse!" He glared at Loras. "Loras Tyrell, please control your friend!"

Renly grinned sheepishly and continued picking up pillows but Loras glared at Mace's back. "Boyfriend, dad, not just friend."

Willas saw the tips of Renly's ears turn pink and Loras wound an arm around his waist. For a moment, Willas could tell, they were lost in their own world.

Mace could tell too, and he grumbled a bit, getting the RV ready for driving. Olena came in, her white hair in a messy halo around her head, making her look like a ghost. Willas started cracking up at the sight of his disheveled grandmother until she smacked him on the back of the head. She then smiled, sat next to him, and kissed him on the cheek. Olena was a softie deep down and everyone knew it. She just wasn't ready to make allowances for Willas because of his injuries, and that was one of the reasons Willas loved her.

Mace put the RV into driving gear and pulled out of the trailer park where they had been spending the night, squinting angrily into the morning sun. Margery joined everyone in the main section of the trailer, sitting down on the floor with the boys and joining in their Uno game. Where Olena looked like a deranged ghost at that time of morning, Margery looked perfect, her glossy brown hair pulled into a side braid, her light brown eyes shining in the early light.

"So," Mace interjected into the Uno conversation going on just behind him on the floor of the RV. "Margery, I still don't understand why it's so important we pick up this friend of yours. Willas and Garlan aren't bringing friends. Winterfell is so out of our way and I don't even know her!" He sighed heavily, and Willas could hear the annoyance in his voice.

But Margery stood firm. "Dad, she's my friend! I want to bring her, Loras is bringing his boyfriend, why can't I bring Sansa?"

"Just because Loras can bring his friend, doesn't mean everyone can!" Mace demanded. "Where's she going to sleep, hmm?"

"Boyfriend, dad." Loras reminded, dealing out a skip card that made Garlan swear in frustration and Olena kicked him for swearing which made him rub his head and pretend to be upset until he unleashed a +2 card at Renly who made a face at him. Willas watched the game, amused.

Mace wasn't done yet, though. "Marge, I can't believe I agreed to this. Loras shouldn't be setting the standard here! His friend is welcome, but that doesn't mean everyone can just invite a friend along!"

"Boyfriend." Loras said through clenched teeth, and Willas could see him getting irritated with their father, as everyone was.

Mace noticed. "Loras, calm down, I'm not trying to say you did anything wrong by bringing a friend along, but-,"

"Boyfriend!" Loras said coldly, putting down his cards with more force than was probably needed, clearly getting upset.

"Don't use that tone of voice, young man." Mace continued, oblivious to everyone's agitation. "I'm not trying to say anything, I'm just saying that your friend is welcome but-,"

"Boyf-,"

"Oh goddammit." Olena said, and all heads turned to her, astonished. The true head of the Tyrell family, Olena Tyrell never swore, and if you happened to in her presence, you received a massive clout to the ears or head, whichever were closest. Willas could barely comprehend the words that had just come out of her mouth. "Dammit, Mace, the boy has a name," Olena continued, to everyone's astonished silence. "Renly Baratheon, a very nice name at that. He is your son's boyfriend, can you get that into your thick skull? Or is that too much for you to comprehend, my darling son?"

Mace was thrown off by his mother's force, and Willas could see him struggling to find the right words. "I was just saying that this road trip is-,"

"Very awkward, now, thanks to you." Olena finished the sentence for him. "Thank you for that. Seriously, Mace, if your son likes it up the ass, then by golly, let him have it up the ass!" Loras was grinning so widely now as he silently watched Olena defend his honour and though Willas could see Renly's ears getting steadily pinker, he seemed to be happier too. "As long as he is careful and kind I don't understand what the problem is. Take it as insurance that he won't knock up a girl and you won't end up on 'Sixteen and Pregnant'," Olena said with a pointed look at Loras who saluted her.

Willas could see Mace's knuckles tightening on the wheel of the RV. "Mother, not in front of the children, we will have this discussion later."

Olena snorted. "There's nothing to discuss. Your son brought his boyfriend on this trip, it's time for you to stop being an asshat about it. Now, is anyone up for toast?"

Willas raised his hand, still astonished by his grandmother's show of her complete and absolute authority in the household. She was still a strong woman and she commanded respect.

"Um," Garlan interrupted Margery's request for toast. "This is probably a bad time, but can I have a burger?"

Margery's jaw dropped open and Loras threw his Uno cards at their brother just as Willas tossed a couch pillow at his head.

"God, Garlan, you never stop, do you?" Willas laughed at his oldest brother.

"We're here." Mace said, his voice strained from the front of the RV. "We're in Winterfell. Now, Margery, where's your friend's house?"

"Um." Margery said, a blush creeping on her high cheekbones. She looked terrified and delighted at the same time. "Well, if we're doing this now, she's a bit more."

"What?" Mace asked, clearly not understanding. "Where does she live?"

"No, um, dad, I was saying that she's not just my friend."

"Marge, you need to tell me where she lives."

Margery drew out a long breath then swept a strand of hair back from her face. "God, do I have to spell it out for you? Um, so you remember how when I was six and I was playing hide and seek and I was hiding for hours and eventually you checked everywhere and just yelled 'Marge come out of the closet!' cause that was your best bet? Well," Her blush intensified but she looked pleased as well. "This is me coming out."

The RV was silent for a beat while the family absorbed the information. Then the silence was broken.

"YES!" Loras yelled leaning over to hug his sister so hard that he knocked over the pile of cards for Uno.

"Aww, Marge, see what you did?" Garlan groaned. He started to clean up the cards, pretending to be disappointed in his sister. "It's your gayness, I knew it, bringing shame on this family and destroying our Uno game, young lady, there is something wrong with you."

Margery stuck her tongue out at him. "You should be glad because I was kicking your ass!"

Olena swatted her head as she walked back to Willas on the couch with his toast, but she was amused all the same. "No swearing, young lady. Now, that's all well and good, I am very happy that you are not going to end up on 'Sixteen and Pregnant' then either, but your father still needs to know where your friend—or girlfriend—lives."

Margery was flushed with excitement and grinning ear to ear. "It's Winter St, dad."

"Thank you." Mace said grumpily. He twiddled the steering wheel to try to get it to the right point on Winter St to pick up Sansa, hunched over the dashboard. Willas smiled at that, knowing that his dad was hard to bring around, but he'd come around eventually. He always did.

"So wait," Willas said teasingly. "Does that mean that out of the Tyrell clan Garlan and I are the only straight ones?"

Everyone looked at Garlan, shuffling Uno cards. He looked up and grinned at all their expectant faces. "I don't have some big revelation. I just like burgers, man."

Everyone laughed at that, and Mace pulled the RV over. "Alright, Marge, we're here." He turned around to face the rest of the family and Willas saw a kind of tired kindness that hadn't been there previously. "Go grab Sansa. We want to try and get to the first free state by noon."

Margery smiled at her father and skipped out the RV door. Mace seemed to survey the RV, as if seeing everyone, truly seeing them for the first time.

"Loras," He said, the edge gone from his voice. "Can you get—no, wait. Renly, actually, can you fold up the sheets from last night?"

Renly grinned at Mace. "Sure, Mr. Tyrell."

Mace waved him aside. "It's Mace, son."

Renly jokingly saluted him. "Sure thing Mace."

He started off to fold the sheets and Garlan started to deal out the cards again as Loras teased his older brother about his burger fetish. Willas watched them all, munching on his toast, he smiled to himself. Things got crazy sometimes. But in the end, they all did stick together. They'd always be Tyrells, no matter what life threw at them. They'd always stick together. He knew that, he supposed he'd always know that. There was no getting around it, blood was blood and it would always be there. For better or worse, his family would always be there. Whether Sansa or Renly ended up being a part of it didn't matter, because right now they were. And Tyrells stick together. Because in the game of love, there is no winning or losing. You either win or try again until you get it right. Family was important, always would be. But their home didn't have to be a fortress, their family didn't have to be an army. They just had to be together. They just had to be Tyrells. And that was enough.


End file.
